| Cinema X-1 High Power Rocket- Maiden Launch, Dec. 15 2012 (2013-03-11) Launched at the Varn Ranch in Plant City FL during the monthly TTRA launch. Scratch-built rocket is seven feet tall and weighs 14 pounds loaded with an Aerotech J800 motor. Blue Tube construction transitions from 3" for the camcorder section to 4" for the motor section. Two side pods are capable of flying airstart motors, but they contained only two 15" drogue chutes for this flight. Perfectflite Stratologger SL100 altimeter and Aiptek Hi Speed HD camcorder onboard. Rocket achieved an altitude of 2666 feet. Shock cords for the two drogue chutes tangled, but with no ill effects. Rocket landed safely under a 48" main chute.
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| High Power Cluster Motor Rocket "Lawn Dart" Disaster Averted at 400 Feet- 3/19/2011 (2011-08-19) Monthly TTRA launch at Varn ranch, Plant City FL. CINEMA 5 rocket had (2) G80-10 Aerotech motors and had flown successfully several times before. Igniters were tested for matched resistance and even taped individually to the motors so that they would not be pulled out by ignition of either motor. Only one motor ignited, and rocket veered into a ballistic trajectory, achieving only 459 feet in altitude. Thankfully, the rocket contained an altimeter set for main chute deployment at 400 feet (drogue chute was supposed to be deployed by the 10 second motor delay). Both chutes were connected through the nosecone so that the Aiptek camcorder would be oriented to the ground during descent. But since the main chute deployed first, and because the main chute actually opened above the tail of the rocket which was in "lawn dart" orientation, the shock cord for the drogue was forcibly pulled out of the rocket body tube, "zippering" it. You can see the zippering occuring in a few of the vidcaps provided. Rocket landed safely, but the body tube will need to be replaced.
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| High Power Clustered Rocket Onboard Video Launch- "Cinema 5" (2011-09-22) Launched at the Varn ranch, Plant City FL during the monthly TTRA launch. "Cinema 5" used two Aerotech G80-10 motors and an Aiptek Hi Speed HD camcorder. Rocket reached 1615 feet and safely landed, narrowly missing my daughter's and son-in-law's truck.
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| High Power L2 Rocket w/ Onboard Video- Thick Black Exhaust Smoke- 5/20/2011 (2011-05-29) Launched at monthly TTRA launch at Varn Ranch, Plant City, FL. Aerotech J401 Black Max and Aiptek Hi Speed HD camcorder. Camcorder record button turned itelf off after only three seconds of flight- presumably from the force of the high speed air because of this high-acceleration motor. Straight-as-an-arrow flight to 4456 feet and perfect recovery. One of the two drogue charges didn't fire- it ground tested fine. Thankfully I have two altmeters in this rocket.
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| High Power Level 2 Rocket Launch w/ Onboard Video- Unplanned Drag Race and Almost Cow Landing (2013-03-11) Launched at monthly TTRA launch at Varn ranch, Plant City FL. Aerotech J250 Black Max reload and Aiptek Hi Speed HD 60fps camcorder. Two Perfectfilte altimeters. Parachutes by Phylachutes. My rocket, along with another HPR, were accidentally launched simultaneously. Perfect flight to 2604 feet, but almost landed on a cow! Main chute launded in tree, but was easliy removed. Some cool vidcaps at end of video, including long shadows of the two exhaust contrails as the rockets diverged.
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| High Power Level 2 Rocket Onboard Video- Incredible Spin Rate During Descent for CINEMA 6.5 (2011-06-03) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. CINEMA 6.5 was completely rebuilt after the May water landing of CINEMA 6, when the camcorder continued recording for several seconds underwater (check out the unusual video). CINEMA 6.5 is constructed of Blue Tube 2.0 and was powered by an Aerotech J460 motor, and achieved an altitude of 3384 feet. The Aiptek camcorder was positioned just above the motor, which is an unusual loaction, but the rocket was ultra-stable on ascent. Descent spin under the drogue chute was probably caused by the kevlar ribbon shock cord winding and unwinding- I'll add a swivel next time. Two Perfectflite altimeters handled the apogee and main BP charges flawlessly. Drogue and main chutes crafted by Phylachutes worked perfectly, as always. Safe recovery with no damage.
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| High Power Level 2 Rocket w/ Onboard Video- "RETRO CINEMA 1" Almost Lands on a Herd of Cows (2013-03-11) 79" tall scratch-built Blue Tube design transitioned from 3" motor/fin tube to 2.2" main body tube back to 3" camcorder tube. Reminiscent of a rocket design Kirk Packo and I built and launched in 1971 using a Kodak 8mm film movie camera. Launched at monthly TTRA launch at Varn ranch, Plant City FL. Aerotech I435 "Blue Thunder" 38mm motor with Aiptek Hi Speed HD camcorder. Note pendulum-like swing of shock cord connected to fin/motor section- in addition to the drogue chute above the camcorder section, I tested adding a 12" chute to the shock cord where the cord leads into the fin/motor section, and it caused ever-increasing oscillations until the main ejection charge fired. The camcorder section and the main tube/fin/motor section of rocket came down under separate chutes and almost landed on a herd of cows. the last vidcap show two of the juvenile cows running away as we approached to retrieve the rocket. The mother cow was watching us intently and we were praying that she would not charge us. Everyone safely survived the encounter. Great first flight on St. Patrick's Day for this rocket.
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| High Power Onboard Rocket Video Dec. 19, 2009- "Cinema 4" (2011-10-09) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 4" scratch-built rocket with Aerotech H180-12 motor (I wanted to see some blue sky before the ejection charge fired). Separate 24" parachutes, custom-made by Phylachutes, for Aiptek HD-1 camcorder and rocket sections. Altitude reached was 1328 per the onboard "How High SP" mini altimeter. You can see the separate yellow rocket body and pink parachute in several video frames as it descends beneath the camcorder section.
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| High Power Rocket Launch w/ Panoramic Onboard Video- May 20, 2011 (2011-05-29) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at Varn Ranch, Plant City FL. CINEMA 3.5 used a Aerotech I200 White Lightning motor and flew an Aiptek Hi Speed HD camcorder. The camcorder was positioned so that it looked out at the launch area crowd instead of down as I have always done before. Impressive panoramic views of the Plant City area and of the launch crowd were captured. The altitude achieved of 2514 feet was about 20% higher than usual, due to much less surface area of the camcorder exposed to drag.
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| High Power Rocket Launch with Drogue Streamers/ Camcorders (2013-03-11) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at the Varn ranch in Plant City, FL. I reconstructed my CINEMA 4.5 rocket to have a 39" long camcorder section with its own altimeter and main chute. Used a 70" and a 40" streamer on both the camcorder section and the rocket section instead of the usual drogue chute. At apogee, the two rocket parts separated and descended separately. Camcorder section weighed about 3 pounds, andthe rocket section weighed about 4 pounds. Rocket reached an altitude of 1668 feet and the parts separated and descended as planned. Because the camcorder section had a homemade tail cone and was quite aerodynamic, it descended under streamers at a much faster rate- about 92fps. The rocket portion, because of the fins catching the air during descent, was falling at the rate of about 55fps, even though both rocket sections had exactly the same sized streamers. The main chutes ejected via the altimeter on each section, and both landed safely. After the camcorder section touched down and was laying on its side, that camcorder luckily picked up the rocket section landing in the distance about 10 seconds later. Conclusion- streamers can sometimes be used instead of a drogue chute for high power rockets. Just make sure that you've sized the streamers correctly and the rocket itself should create some drag during descent (the fins seem to accomplish this quite nicely), coupled with the rocket's center of gravity not forcing it to become a "lawn dart".
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| High Power Rocket Onboard Video of Homemade Main Chute Deployment Device (2012-12-13) Monthly TTRA launch at Varn ranch, Plant City FL. CINEMA 4 contained homemade main chute deployment device (see my newsletter article at Apogee Components) which allows for a single deploy rocket to become a dual deploy without cutting up the rocket. Aerotech H220-10 motor and 1010 rail launcher. Rocket successfully deployed both the drogue chute and main chute at the appropriate times, and rocket landed without any damage.
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| High Power Rocket Onboard Video Sept. 19, 2009- Tripoli Level 1 Cert. Flight (2011-05-31) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. Maiden flight for "Cinema 4" scratch-built rocket with Aerotech H180-10 motor. Separate parachutes, custom-made by Phylachutes, for Aiptek HD-1 camcorder and rocket sections. Successful TRA Level 1 certification flight. Altitude reached was 1388 per the onboard "How High SP" mini altimeter. Hope you don't get motion sickness while watching the descent- the wind whipped the camcorder and rocket sections mercilessly during the descent. A long walk through marshy land to recover the camcorder and rocket sections.
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| High Power Rocket Onboard Video- "Cinema 3" - Feb. 20, 2010 (2011-06-24) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 3" was powered by a G80-10 motor and carried an Aiptek HD-1 camcorder. Test of a homemade parachute release device activated by an altimeter. The device didn't work properly, and the drogue chute, made by Phylachutes, saved the rocket and camcorder. I already have the fix for the problem, and next month should be a successful test of the device.
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| High Power Rocket Onboard Video- CINEMA 4.5- Feb. 19, 2011 Launch (2011-06-25) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at the Varn ranch, Plant City FL. CINEMA 4.5 flew an Aiptek Hi HD camcorder and an Aerotech I200-10 motor with a PerfectFlite altimeter for main chute deployment at 400 feet. At that time, the camcorder section and the rocket section descended on separate chutes (sewn by Phylachutes). The rocket reached an altitude of 1628 feet and was recovered safely.
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| High Power Rocket Onboard Video- Hard Landing with Drogue Chute Only- Nov. 20, 2010 (2011-06-28) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at the Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. CINEMA 4 was powered by an Aerotech I200 motor and carried an Aiptek camcorder. The shock from the drogue deployment dislodged the battery from the altimeter, and the main chute never deployed. The landing was hard, but fortunately there was no damage to the rocket. I'll tape the battery in place next time!
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| High Power Rocket Onboard Video- Some Awesome Vidcaps- and Cow Poo- January 21, 2012 (2013-03-11) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at Varn ranch, Plant City FL. CINEMA 4.5, which is my L1 certification rocket, was rebuilt to accomodate 38mm motors and full dual deploy via a Perfectflite altimeter. Used an I-245 Aerotech Mojave Green motor for this flight. Windy day but the rocket flew straight and performed perfectly. Camcorder section and rocket section separated as planned at main chute deployment. Lots of buffeting and rocking as the rocket came down under drogue chute before separation. Note one vidcap where the smoke from the main chute ejection charge is still lingering inside the main chute tube- it's the vidcap with the purple/blue chute in the foreground. Lots of cows and cow poo around during this launch- see one of the vidcaps with my foot as a reference as to the size of the cow pie.
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| High Power Rocket Tripoli Level 2 Certification Flight Feb. 20, 2010- "Cinema 6"- Success! (2011-06-28) Successful Level 2 certification flight. Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 6" is a scratch-built, 65" tall Blue Tube 3" diameter rocket. Launched using a J275 motor with a 12 second delay. Perfectflite and Missleworks altimeters for main chute deployment. The rocket carried an Aiptek HD-1 camcorder, but the intense acceleration momentarily disrupted the connection of the SD card, and the onboard video file was corrupted.
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| High Power Rocket Two Motor-Cluster Onboard Video- April 21, 2012- "CINEMA 5.5" (2013-03-11) Launched at monthly TTRA launch at Varn Ranch, Plant City FL. Two Aerotech H128 motors ignited simultaneously and rocket launched into strong wind. Nice views of fin section "flying" at the end of the yellow kevlar shock cord during descent, as well as nice views of the detached rocket section as it drifts down under its separate parachute. One fin stuck into the soft ground upon landing- no damage, but the rocket body was more or less upright.
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| High Power Rocket w/ Onboard Video Lands in Fresh Cow Poo!! (2011-12-08) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at the Varn cattle ranch in Plant City, FL. Rocket was powered by an Aerotech H180-10 motor and contained an Aiptek Hi Speed HD camcorder. Rocket achieved an altitude of 2158 feet. The homemade dual deployment chute release device failed due to too much BP in the ejection charge, prematurely breaking the fishing line holding the device together. Upon landing, the base of the altimeter/camcorder section landed in a pile of fresh cow manure! Check out the end of the video. Last month a water landing- this month a poo landing!
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| High Power Rocket w/ Onboard Video- Fantastic Vidcaps- March 19, 2011 (2011-05-29) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch at the Varn ranch, Plant City FL. CINEMA 3.5 used an Aerotech I200 White Lightning motor and an Aiptek Hi Speed HD 60 fps camcorder. Altimeter fired the main chutes ejection charge at 500 feet. Rocket achieved an altitude of 1946 feet and made a successful landing. Some stunning vidcaps are included, showing the rocket clearing the launch rail, the deployment of the green/black drogue chute, the fin section floating in mid-air while tethered to the camcorder section, the deployment of the pink main chute for the camcorder section, and the rocket body section descending separately from the camcorder section on a yellow chute. Thanks again to Phylachutes for making an entire fleet of chutes for my rockets!
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| J275 High Power Rocket Launch w/ Tender Descender- "Cinema 6"- March 20, 2010 (2011-09-29) Launched at Varn ranch in Plant City, FL. "Cinema 6" scratch-built L2 rocket with J275 motor and Tender Descender main chute release device. Flight went perfectly and Tender Descender released main chute and separated rocket into two sections @ 700 feet for final descent. Onboard camcorder malfunctioned, so no inflight video!
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| Model Rocket Onboard Video August 15, 2009 (2011-06-28) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 3" scratch-built rocket with G80-7 motor. Separate parachutes, custom-made by Phylachutes, for Aiptek HD-1 camcorder and rocket sections. High winds caused rod-whip as the rocket left the launch pad, and rocket weathercocked severely into the wind. Chute for rocket section did not initially deploy, and rocket section continued a ballistic trajectory into the wind. At about 500 feet, the parachute fell out of the rocket body and deployed successfully. Camcorder section successfully landed about 300 yards from the rocket section.
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| Model rocket onboard video June 20, 2009 (2011-06-28) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 3" scratch-built rocket with G78-4 motor. Separate parachutes for Aiptek HD-1 camcorder and rocket sections. Rocket parachute did not open; rocket body flat-fell from approx. 1000 feet with only a cracked fin as damage.
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| Rocket Onboard Video Nov. 21, 2009- "Cinema 3" (2011-06-28) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 3" scratch-built 52" tall rocket from Aerotech parts and one Aerotech G80-7 motor. Very first test of a timer-fired, homemade non-pyrotechnic device (nichrome wire and fishing line) for main chute deployment at approx. 600 feet. Drogue and main parachutes were custom-made by Phylachutes. The rocket contained an Aiptek HD-1 camcorder. Rocket achieved an altitude of 1006 feet and was recovered safely. The 20# test fishing line snapped at ejection, releasing the main chute prematurely. The siren eventually heard was the timer firing the nichrome wire, which then goes into siren mode. I'll use heavier fishing line next time!
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| Successful Launch of Homemade Main Chute Deployment Device- CINEMA 3.5- Nov. 20, 2010 (2011-06-24) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 3.5" was powered by a H250-10 motor and carried an Aiptek HD-1 camcorder. Another successful flight of a homemade parachute release device activated by an altimeter at 500 feet. Device is a tensioned split cylinder which holds the main parachute. The altimeter fires a Quest Q2G2 igniter which burns through a piece of 30# test fishing line holding the device shut, thus releasing the main chute. Drogue chute and homemade device are ejected from the main body tube by the motor's ejection charge. See my article in Newsletter 258 at the Apogee Components website for complete build instructions.
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| Successful Launch of Homemade Main Chute Deployment Device- Feb. 19, 2011 (2011-08-21) CINEMA 3.5 used an Aerotech H250 Mojave green motor- notice the green hue of the exhaust on the vidcaps. The vidcaps also show the moment just after the Quest Q2G2 igniter fired, cutting the fishing line that held the tensioned main chute cylinder together. You can see the glowing igniter and the cut fishing line in the vidcap. Praise to the 60 fps Aiptek HD onboard camcorder. Successful launch.
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| Successful Launch of Homemade Main Chute Deployment Device: March 20, 2010- "Cinema 3" Onboard Video (2011-10-02) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. "Cinema 3" was powered by a G80-10 motor and carried an Aiptek HD-1 camcorder. Successful flight of a homemade parachute release device activated by an altimeter. Device is a tensioned split cylinder which holds the main parachute. The altimeter fires a Quest Q2G2 igniter which burns through a piece of 20# test fishing line holding the device shut, thus releasing the main chute.
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| Two Stage High Power Airstart Onboard Rocket Video Dec. 19, 2009- "Airstart 1" (2011-05-29) Launched at TTRA monthly event held at Varn ranch, Plant City, FL. Maiden flight for "Airstart 1" scratch-built 61" tall rocket from PML and Aerotech parts. H180-4 booster motor and G80-10 upper stage motor. Drogue and main parachutes for upper stage were custom-made by Phylachutes. Booster contained an Aerotech parachute. PerfectFlite staging timer and PerfectFlite Hi-Alt45K Altimeter. The rocket contained an Aiptek HD-1 camcorder. Successful airstart with approx. one second delay between booster burnout and upper stage ignition. Rocket achieved an altitude of 1835 feet. Upon landing, high gusty winds dragged the upper stage rocket along the ground, breaking off a fin (an "epoxyable" repair).
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| Two Stage High Power Airstart Rocket Onboard Vid with Great Vidcaps- 4/16/2011 (2011-06-03) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch in the Varn ranch in Plant City FL. "Airstart 1" is a scratch-built two stage rocket that has a 2.5" dia. upper stage and 3" dia. booster stage. The upper stage's fin/motor section rests in the four 6" deep slots in the top of the Blue Tube booster section. Aerotech I200-10 booster motor and H250 upper stage motor. Perfectflite timer for staging and a Perfectflite altimeter for drogue and main chutes deployments. Parachutes by Phylachutes. Aiptek Hi Speed HD camcorder which shoots video at 60 fps. Rocket achieved an altitude of 2668 feet on a very windy day. Booster section landed safely by parachute next to the spectators. Drogue chute shock cord on the upper stage became tangled at deployment, accounting for the dizzying video and upside-down video after main chute deployment at 400 feet. I'm going to try a deployment bag for the drogue chute at next launch.
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| Two Stage High Power Rocket Launch- "Airstart 1", September 18, 2010 (2011-06-28) Launched at the monthly TTRA launch in the Varn ranch in Plant City FL. "Airstart 1" is a scratch-built two stage rocket that has a 2.5" dia. upper stage and 3" dia. booster stage. The upper stage's fin/motor section rests in the four 6" deep slots in the top of the booster section. Aerotech H250-6 booster motor and H220 upper stage motor. Perfectflite timer for staging and a Perfectflite altimeter for drogue and main chute deployments. Successful second flight of this rocket, although the increased pressure from the H220 ignition damaged the cradle section of the booster (you can see one of the pieces of the cradle breaking away in two of the vidcaps at the end of the video), as well as a fin on the upper stage. Flight went straight as an arrow to 2256 feet, with successful recovery of the camcorder section, upper stage rocket section and booster section, all on their separate parachutes sewn by Phylachutes. I'll re-do the booster cradle section using Blue Tube this time, which should handle the upper motor ignition pressure much better.
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| Unbelievable High Power Rocket Launch with Underwater Onboard Video at Landing! (2011-06-26) Launched at Varn ranch in Plant City, FL. "Cinema 6" scratch-built L2 rocket with J275 motor and Tender Descender main chute release device. Flight went perfectly until main chute prematurely deployed from freebag a few seconds after apogee (I'm sure I must have packed it too loosely). Tender Descender released main chute and separated rocket into two sections @ 700 feet for final descent. Camcorder and rocket sections both landed in marshlands and the camcorder continued to record video UNDERWATER for several seconds! Video was retrievable several days after the Aiptek Hi-Speed HD camcorder dried out! I've never seen anything like this.
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